A review by butteredtoastinbed
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such an exceptional, emotional and thought-provoking novel that I really loved. The story as a whole felt very important and the final takeaway of the book felt deeply necessary, too. It did not feel like a stereotype - it was explained from a place of empathy and understanding, which I feel is more significant than almost anything else in the book. Having said this, I also loved the story just as a story; it was written so well, the characters were all multi-dimensioned with flaws and were all very impactful and lovable. The finale was perfect, the pacing was fantastic and I constantly found myself wanting to read more.
One of my favourite aspects was the repeated symbolism, motifs and hints between the two sides of the story that really helped both relate more with the main character (in the sense that I felt lost, confused and washed up, just as he did), but also read deeper into the story and appreciate the writing more. The style of writing was really enjoyable and matched the voice of the main character really well, along with the themes and feelings of the story perfectly.
The illustrations are not to be overlooked, too. They added so much atmosphere to the story while I was reading and they were great in helping me to connect more with the main character.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone, it was not only fun to read but is a hugely important piece of writing.
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